20 March 2014 / by Radmila Gurkova

My favorite ESL class

We asked different teachers about their favorite ESL class. We wanted them to explain what makes a great ESL class really memorable.

We often hear teachers complaining about certain students and classes that were difficult. It's much more productive and rewarding to hear about TEFL teacher's favorite classes and why they enjoyed them.

Here we've collected a few of the Oxbridge teacher's accounts of their favorite ESL class and students:

Elena Riches' favorite ESL class


I love an online class I do one on one with a woman. I can't see her but I hear her really well and she's very responsive to everything I ask. I never have a problem with her in terms of not listening. The class is relaxed and fluid and this reflects in her progress.

Phil Broomhall & John Shepherd' favorite ESL class


We love the advanced level group at la Fira Barcelona, it's a larger group of over 10 people which can often pose problems but the students have such a great level of English and get on so well the class flies by. Each student respects the other when they speak and they are able to really get into discussions. They're also funny students who appreciate the British humour!

Rob Wylie' favorite ESL class


My favourite classes are all with various students at a company I know very well. I've taught them for years now and we're very close. They feel like my family and I've been a major witness in their progression in the English language, supporting them all the way.

Inge Tuijnman' favorite ESL class


I also prefer various students at one company. They are very positive and receptive students, which is the best thing first thing in the morning!

No matter what are the reasons behind your favorite classes, remember that you can also be someone's favorite teacher. Prepare yourself the best way you can. You are a model, an adviser, a guide. Be ready, be willing, be prepared!

 

10

April 2015
Be brainy: Multiple intelligences theory
by Vincent Chieppa
...

07

April 2015
It's never too late to learn how to teach
by Elena Riches
As we grow older it’s all very easy to sit and wonder why we didn't do certain things before it became ‘too late’.  And whenever I hear people say, ‘I wish I’d done this’ my response is always, “What’s stopping you from doing it now?”, a question that usually stops a person in their tracks and makes them think. ...

03

April 2015
How to... set up audio-visual discussion topics
by Vincent Chieppa
...

30

March 2015
What is intonation and why teach it?
by Elena Riches
What is intonation? The term 'intonation' refers to the linguistic use of pitch to convey meaning of a sentence and/or word and during your life as a TEFL teacher you will come across students who will have difficulty using intonation and stress in the correct manner - this means they may not...

27

March 2015
Task-based language teaching: 6 tools for task force teachers
by Vincent Chieppa
...

24

March 2015
'Schwa' - unstressed syllables
by Elena Riches
Before I was taught how to teach English, by Oxbridge TEFL, I had no idea that the word "schwa" existed. Today, I'm writing about the 'schwa', which isn't (incidentally) about the pronunciation of words such as 'Schwartz' and 'Schwarzkopf'...it's about ...

20

March 2015
New teaching techniques: Sparking inspiration
by Vincent Chieppa
The era of “chalk and talk” is over.  We as teachers know that we need to incorporate new teaching techniques seeing that nowadays simply presenting information to our students is just not enough.  Students have to engross themselves in what they are being taught, they need to discover the worth of what we teach them and it is our job to igni...

17

March 2015
ESL - Common Mistakes Students Make
by Elena Riches
In my last blog post I listed a few 'false friends' - English words that students confuse with words from their own language - in this one, I'm going to talk about common mistakes. Every single day, at least one student ...

12

March 2015
Games people play: No-prep ESL games for all ages
by Vincent Chieppa
...

10

March 2015
False Friend
by Elena Riches
For anyone who's never taught English or taken an advanced English course, you could be forgiven for assuming that a 'false friend' is someone who pretends to like you when they don't. However, a false friend is in fact a word or phrase in two languages or dialects (or letters in two alphabets) that look...